I wonder whether plates with illustrations are 'Stereotype Plates'?
G'day folks,
The answer is, most likely! As these were produced in bulk, not as one-offs. The Stereotype process involved creation of a metal master, then using that to make as many 'matrix' moulding plates as required, to cast the type metal copies. The copies were then used for the actual printing.
Some examples:
http://mmop.org.au/gallery/stereo01/index.htm
